It's that wonderful time of year when classic holiday movies are played on televisions all over the country. This year, however, A Christmas Story star Peter Billingsley is teaming up with A Christmas Story Christmas screenwriter Nick Schenk to explore why so many love a good holiday film in a new podcast from Vince Vaughn's Audiorama. A new trailer for A Cinematic Christmas Journey sees the two hosts revisiting some of the best and most infamous Christmas films of old, from the ever-classic It's a Wonderful Life to the divisive Jim Carrey-led How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Along the way, they bring on a slew of guests who were involved in the films and do some research of their own in an effort to figure out what makes these films so special.
The trailer promises a fun tour through classic Christmas cinema full of jokes but also genuine insight into the creation of the films. Billingsley gets to reunite with his old A Christmas Story colleagues to discuss the iconic flagpole scene and the hosts get to talk with Home Alone cinematographer Julio Macat about how they filmed Kevin's (Macaulay Culkin) best pranks. Series creator Vaughn even makes an appearance to talk about his own Christmas comedy Four Christmases. The two hosts also get to hear some behind-the-scenes secrets on National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation regarding Clark's (Chevy Chase) famous rant, and they round it out with some exploration of It's a Wonderful Life and The Grinch. Before the trailer ends, Schenk goes over what's at the heart of any good Christmas tale - "Giving, forgiving, grace, and family."
Among those lined up to talk with Billingsley and Schenk about Christmas movies are Vaugn and Jeffrey Kimball for Four Christmases, Macat for Home Alone, and Beverly D’Angelo for Christmas Vacation. A Christmas Story's Ian Petrella, R. D. Robb, and Scott Schwartz also stop by for the inaugural episode. The podcast is produced by Audiorama and Wild West Picture Show Productions with Walmart presenting.
Audiorama Has Big Plans for A Cinematic Christmas Journey
Audiorama doesn't just want to celebrate Christmas with its new podcast, however. The audio banner has plans to make the series a recurring seasonal show with new guests to fit other movie formats. Already, the podcast is set to talk about Valentine's Day rom-coms, Halloween horrors, and summer blockbusters among other things. Billingsley and Schenk marked the perfect opening for the series since they just saw the release of their sequel holiday film A Christmas Story Christmas on HBO Max. Vaughn also served as a producer on the film and he and his close friend Billingsley produced another Christmas film this year, Christmas With the Campbells.
The first episode of A Cinematic Christmas Journey is out now exploring Billingsley's original turn as Ralphie alongside his fellow A Christmas Story alums. All episodes of the podcast will be released before Christmas Day comes around with exclusive video episodes available on Spotify. Check out the trailer below.